Awakening of Evil
by Rurouni Tyriel
Summary: (COMPLETED) On the night of All Hallow’s Eve the Titans were out having fun. But then they came home and fell asleep... and the nightmare really began. Can the teenaged heroes fight against that which they hate and fear most?
1. I

**Disclaimer:**

I don't own the Teen Titans, though I wish I did.

* * *

**Summary:**

Halloween story. On the night of All Hallow's Eve the Titans were out having fun. But then they came home and fell asleep... and the nightmare really began. A malevolent gathering of dark forces seek the Titans lives, and have delved into their deepest and darkest fears to use against them. Can the teenaged heroes fight against that which they hate and fear most? Or are they doomed never to awaken? Takes place after 'Spellbound' and prior to 'Wavelength.' Rated PG-13 for action violence, cartoon horror and some scary moments.

* * *

All Hallow's Eve.

A night when any number of little brats dressed up in a variety of colorful costumes and roamed Jump City and its surrounding districts, stopping by homes with one singular quest. The most candy by the end of the night.

Titan's Tower was no exception.

"We are home!" shouted a joyous Starfire, her voice echoing throughout the great metallic home of Jump City's resident heroes, easily heard by the two remaining Titans currently resting up in the living room. Those two being Cyborg and Raven. Cyborg, feeling far too old for the dress-up and trick-or-treating of Halloween had elected to remain behind and pass out candy to those who made their way up to the Tower. And Raven, of course, didn't enjoy celebrations of any sort, so she remained in the quiet living room reading one of her novels. A rather thick one, Cyborg noticed. They'd been sharing a companionable silence during most of the evening.

Shattered now by Starfire, who had rushed into the living room to display her newly acquired hoard of candy, followed closely by Beastboy and Robin.

Curious of the earth custom, Starfire had been adamant about going out to try "trick or treating," and Beastboy could never say no to all the delicious candies he knew would be offered tonight. Robin had gone along to assist Starfire and keep Beastboy out of trouble. All in all, it had been a productive night. And remarkably easy for the Titans to come up with costumes... they'd gone as themselves. Not terribly creative, but it got them enough chocolates to last them 'til New Years.

Starfire giggled joyously as she followed Beastboy's example, emptying out her candy onto the floor so she could see it rise up as a small pile (perhaps not even small, within moments there was a small mountain in the living room). Beastboy's was no less impressive, though he took out and tossed aside any bad candys or toothpastes that had someone snuck into his pile, offering them over to Starfire, who snatched them up eagerly.

"What a joyous night!" she proclaimed loudly. "We had so much fun with the treat or tricking! And we have amassed so much trash food!"

"Junk food," Robin corrected her politely. She nodded, smiling at him.

"Yes, junk food."

Raven idly glanced up at them over her book, raising an eyebrow at the sight of all that candy. After all, it wasn't like she didn't like candy. She -was- a teenaged girl, after all. "Good haul?" she asked idly.

"Awesome haul!" replied Beastboy, rummaging through his candy, determined to divide it into individual little piles and sort it by the exact type. However, he generously held up a handful of Swedish fish, which he knew Raven was partial too. "Care for some?"

"Thank you," she replied, using her magic to draw the candy to her without getting up. She then continued to read her book, absent-mindedly munching on the delicious fruity fish as she did so.

"Well I'm gonna go shower then go hit the hay," said Robin, stretching out his sore limbs. Beastboy and Starfire had, in their crusade to collect more candy, taken on much of Jump City. And even his endurance had its limits, he'd reached them long ago. His legs and arms felt like dead weights.

"Ooh... sleep well, Robin," said Starfire, chewing on one of her newly acquired candies... wrapper and all.

"'night man. I'll probably do the same but the gym is callin' me," said Cyborg, stretching out his tired limbs. He wasn't sore like Robin, his body was carrying too much pent up energy. Cyborg was a doer, he needed to be doing something to let out all his energy. Right now a good work out right before bed sounded good. Its not like Titan's Tower would be getting many more visitors. Already it was late in the evening, and moms and dads were calling in their kids for some bed as well.

"Not me," stated Beastboy, flipping gracefully over the couch to land on the other side. Remote in hand, he immediately began to flip channels. "Up all night Halloween Horror Movie mash! Yeah!!"

Raven winced lightly as the volume on the chosen program started to soar, giving the heroine of the movie a particularily powerful, high-pitched scream that grated on her nerves. "Can you please lower the volume?" she asked. Thankfully, Beastboy complied, and she went back to her book.

* * *

Robin sighed contently, never more glad in that particular moment when his head hit the pillow and he drifted off to sleep. He'd had tons of fun tonight, wandering the town with BB and Star. Though he suspected by tomorrow Beastboy at the very least was going to be sick to his stomach considering how much junk food he'd all but inhaled. Starfire... well... Tamaranians were made of tough stuff, she had a cast iron stomach and could've likely swallowed a truckload of rusty nails, washed it down with a bucket of paint, and likely asked for seconds.

She was so strong, yet so innocent. So naïve.

As usual, Robin had updated the entries in his journal before drifting off to sleep. They hadn't run into much trouble tonight, just a few older kids who were trying to bully younger ones out of their candy (they'd put a stop to that plenty quick). Not like the last few years, when real costumed villains had tried to use the holiday event to work unnoticed. Still, like his mentor, he kept dutiful records of all that happened to him so that if he needed it he could check back and find old information that might somehow be more useful now than it previously had been.

His brain as tired as his body, Robin drifted off into dream-world, his mental barriers and defenses lowered as he slept. Leaving him as vulnerable as any other teenaged boy's.

* * *

Raven flinched slightly again at yet another scream from the horror movie on the screen. Frowning, she glanced up over the rim of her book at Beastboy, a sharp comment on turning down the volume on the tip of her tongue before she saw what he was doing.

Sleeping.

His head had rolled to one side, his mouth hung open slack in a comical gesture, the remote still clutched tightly in his hand. He'd just drifted off to sleep, right then and there, right in the middle of one of his movies. Or maybe they'd changed and Raven, engrossed in her book, simply hadn't noticed.

Smiling softly, she lowered her book and made a gesture with her free hand. A black glow engulfed the remote, sliding it out of Beastboy's fingers and placing it onto the nearby table (Cyborg was always complaining he couldn't find it, this would save him some trouble). Another mental flick and the off button was pushed, ending the blood and gore fest on the television and leaving the room surprisingly quiet. Another such gesture and a spare blanket nearby flew through the air and wrapped around Beastboy's shoulders, gently knocking him onto his side where he began to snore softly.

"Ladies," he murmured softly, barely audible, though Raven could just barely make him out. "Please, one at a time... you'll all get your chance to pet me..."

Raven's smile grew, if possible, just a fraction wider. Though she suspected that had her control at that moment been any less she might've burst out laughing. Silly, silly Beastboy. His jokes might not've been funny but his antics certainly were.

A soft chuckle to her right nearly made Raven jump clean out of her skin as she spotted Cyborg leaning against the doorway, arms folded, watching quietly. There was a smirk on his face, which softened when he saw he'd startled her.

"Sorry," he said.

"No problem... you gonna carry Bozo Boy to bed or do I get saddled with that joy?" she asked, her sarcastic humor returning in an instant.

"Nah I got it," said the mechanical man, reaching over the couch to pick up Beastboy and his covers. The little guy didn't even notice, he was too deep in dream-land. "Think I'll go recharge too," he added on his way out, shifting Beastboy to one arm and activating the Tower security system. "'Night Raven. Sleep tight."

"... don't let the bedbugs bite," murmured Beastboy, still asleep but seemingly aware of their conversation.

"I'll bite back," she replied in a tone that was deadly serious.

* * *

In another part of the Tower, the final member of the Titans was rather restless, and not from a sugar overdose. Though that was helping to keep her body active and preventing her from reaching sleep easily. No, there was too much on Starfire's mind.

She'd enjoyed all of Earth's holidays so far with great relish. Nothing of the sort existed on Tamaran and she was soaking up all that this world had to offer like a sponge, with her friends at her side to ensure she learned properly what was what and how to do things properly. So she wouldn't be quite as embarrassed by own naivety. Robin, in particular, had been very helpful in introducing her to earth customs. So it was she'd tagged along with Beastboy to go treat or tricking and seen all the strange and sometimes even scary kids dressed up in their costumes. It had been fun. She'd even seen a number of silly children in costumes dressed like herself and her friends. Apparently Titans were all the rage in Jump City.

And that's where she'd seen something disturbing.

Starfire was normally a happy person, inside and out. But when she was sad she usually only confided in two people. One of whom was asleep (Robin), the other of whom was thousands of light-years away (Galifore). As it was, she kept her sad feelings to herself, trying not to get down by them. But then again, it had been rather hard to see that one little girl dressed up like Terra had been.

They all still missed her at Titan's Tower. Beastboy most of all, of course. They'd been the closest of all the Titans. But Starfire had so few friends (here or on Tamaran) that she treasured each and every one as if they were her brothers and sisters. And to lose a sister...

... well, okay, maybe not quite like a sister. Terra had been nothing like Blackfire.

Her thoughts still confused and disjointed, Starfire reluctantly lay flat down on her circular bed, staring up at the ceiling as sleep finally overtook her and she slept soundly.

* * *

One by one the city lights blinked out in Jump City, leaving it illuminated only by the sparkling stars above and the glowing, happy (if eerily creepy) visages of jack o' lantern's below. Darkness settled over the city as it passed the point of midnight and most everyone took to their beds after a long and pleasant evening. Titan's Tower was no exception. Now that the security grid was up, the lights were out (save the plane warning beacons) and its inhabitants all drifted off to their respective dreamlands.

Outside, however, someone wasn't asleep.

Nor had they had a pleasant evening. Though they suspected soon that would change.

"Time we should begin," intoned a deep, powerful voice. Ancient words tumbled from a mortal's mouth, chanting a powerful and dark magical spell. Black energy coalesced in the form of a sinister black crow, streaking past the man and into Titan's Tower, seeking its objective.

"Go, little messenger. Go tell her that its time to begin. Time to bring the Titan's to an end. Once and for all time.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Not many comic references just yet but you'll see plenty more as time goes on. Got a big one involved in the plot actually. This story will also make references back to my former work 'Secret Origins,' and you may wish to read that anyway to understand. Then again, you might not. Oh, but the gag about kids dressing up as the Titans I couldn't resist, because actual Titan costumes do exist. It's twisted. Although there is no Terra costume, I took some creative license with that. I know this is rather short I promise more next time. Next chapter: Raven, Robin, Starfire. The nightmare begins.


	2. II

Red skies, so dark they were crimson, the color of blood. All around the landscape was rocky and sinister, empty of plant-life or water. Thunder boomed overheard, but no lightning illuminated the barren wasteland below. Nor its single inhabitant, a small teenaged girl in a great blue cloak.

Raven peered around cautiously, still walking forward towards her unknown destination. She didn't know how she'd gotten here, she didn't even know where -here- was. All she knew was that she had to keep walking forward. She was... looking... for something.

A harsh bird's cry came from the space behind Raven, and she whirled around, her cloak snapping in the air as she sought the source of the sound. None were visible.

Okay, she wasn't looking for something. She was -running- from something. Raven turned back away from the sound and picked up the pace. A light jog. She wanted to save her energy in case... whatever... was behind her closed in.

Another harsh bird's cry... a crow's... split the air again. And again. Both times Raven glanced over her should but saw nothing. The air was dark, the landscape was barren. But something was there. Something malevolent was after her. Raven's running slowed slightly as the ground became more rocky, great boulders and crevices opening up around her, and she was forced to climb up and over or around such obstacles.

"We can't escape you know..."

Raven skidded to a stop. That voice. Had she imagined it? Cautiously she peered around, finally spotting the speaker hiding behind one of the nearby boulders, hidden in the shadows. It was a girl Raven's age. Wearing her exact same clothes, bearing he exact same features, as if she'd been staring into a mirror. Albeit a mirror disported by depression and altered by sadness. This other Raven was clad in a gray cloak, and from it the original instantly recognized her.

Timid.

"What're you doing here?" asked Raven quietly, kneeling down to try and sooth her emotional manifestation. This explained instantly where she was... she in her mental landscape. Not a dream then. But that was peculiar in and of itself. She didn't recall meditating before going to bed.

"Hiding," replied Timid, her voice barely above a whisper, her gaze focused on the ground.

"Why? What's coming? What's got you so scared...?" asked Raven, then stopped abruptly as she realized the nature of her own question. Knowing Timid, everything scared her. Heck, half the time Raven herself scared Timid. Gave new meaning to the term giving yourself a good scare.

"_Him_," she whispered, her voice deathly soft.

Then suddenly he was upon them.

A dark cloud spread throughout the sky, blocking out the minimal of blood-red lightning and make all seem as black as pitch, so dark Raven could barely make out Timid standing beside her. Well, cowering behind her cloak, more like. She stared resolutely ahead. She watched as the darkness took on shape and form. But even before it had fully coalesced she recognized the image before her.

Like Timid, it was an emotional manifestation. But this manifestation stared ahead with confidence and malice in its expression. It's teeth were pointed and sharp like a vampire's, and not two but four malevolent red eyes peered out from under an equally crimson red cloak. This was Anger.

"I thought I sealed you away," said Raven, her confidence restored a bit since she now knew who her foe was. An unknown foe was more threatening than one she could see in front of her. Especially since she knew the exact nature of Anger. And how to deal with him.

"I've had a little assistance in breaking loose... hope you don't mind," hissed Anger back at her.

"Azerath... Metrion..." Raven started to chant, raising up her hands.

But to her astonishment, before she could speak her third word and activate her true power Anger's eyes glowed a bright gold and a blast of raw energy lanced out of them, slamming full into Raven and sending her tumbling across the ground. She rolled a dozen feet before stopping. Timid ducked under a nearby rock, clutching her head and fearfully whispering for someone to come save them.

But no one was going to.

"You lose, sis," said Anger with a grin. "Daddy's back. And he's made me stronger than ever. With his power I can destroy... well... pretty much anything!" And then she laughed. Raven's voice, laughing. Only it was dark laughter. It was evil laughter. It mocked her, mocked everything she'd fought for, everything she loved, everything she cared about. It mocked it all and scattered it to the winds.

"Not damn likely!" came a new voice... or rather, the same one. But one brimming with confidence.

Brave, clad in her forest-green cloak, launched a flying kick right at Anger's ugly face, and Raven could not help but smile as she saw her other emotions had gathered around nearby. Already Smart, her yellow cloak fluttering around her, had moved in to assist Timid. Knowledge tended to remove fear, after all. Gross and Happy had taken up flanking positions on either side of the true Raven, assisting her to her feet. She felt more confident now. Her father's power and evil surely couldn't defeat them all...

Raven's hopes died at birth, as Anger lashed out with her hand in a casual backhand, sending a wave of crackling red energy throughout the landscape. Each and every emotional manifestation went flying and the landscape itself broke and all but shattered beneath them. It only took a few seconds, but in that time each and every single emotion, every part of Raven that made her who she was... was defeated. Only Anger remained.

"I win," she hissed, her voice deepening, growing more masculine. So did her form. Her body swelled, ripping free of her cloak as her skin turned a bright crimson. Her body altered, changing from that of a five foot, fourteen year old girl to that of a five story, fourteen century old demon with golden eyes and white hair. Her father. "And now I shall take my revenge upon those who would stand in my way."

Trigon.

The great red demon gave a mighty roar. He was free. And Raven had failed. She watched in horror as Trigon stretched out his mighty limbs. Limbs that had been used to shatter his own home dimension. Hands that had destroyed his home world when he'd been only six years old. And his power had only grown the past millennia. He was... unstoppable... now.

And now thanks to Raven's failure, he was loose on the world she loved more than her own life.

* * *

Lightning split the skies, illuminating the room. It was dark. But he'd always preferred to work in the dark. The living room. Robin stepped inside quietly, not wanting to alter his opponent he was there yet. He moved slowly, with deliberate quiet, his black cape obscuring the bright colors of his costume beneath it.

There...!

A shadow suddenly moved, and Robin took off after it, trailing it. It moved with lithe grace, faster than he could follow. Always he would turn a corner, so close to catching it, but it moved faster than he, and would be at the other end of the hallway by the time he neared it. It was heading towards the basement. Robin knocked open the door, spotting the shadow down on the floor. He leapt down off of the stairs, landing in a crouch and sprang forward, but by then the shadow was already gone. He glanced back and forth but no sign of it.

Ominous thunder thrummed in the background, as Robin took a cautious step towards where the shadowy figure had been hiding. Near one of the evidence boxes. Robin brought it out, knocking off the lid, though he knew instantly which one this was. He knew it by heart.

Slade's.

The criminal mastermind was long gone, and supposedly so was his illusion. Perhaps the dust still hadn't been purified from his body. Just to be safe, Robin reached behind his back and drew out his bo staff, extending it to full length and using it to knock the light switch. Instantly the area was illuminated. Which meant unless the -real- Slade was here, he was safe.

But had it been a shadow he saw? Or someone else? Was Slade really gone?

Questions like these preyed on his mind, forcing him into wakefulness, when he'd heard a sound down the hallway in the living room. And so he'd dressed and armed himself in a speed the Flash would've envied. He kept close watch over any threats to his friends. But it appeared there were none. But he was still uneasy.

Gently he reached into the box, picking up the mask of Slade. It had been cleaned off by Cyborg after the Titan's last encounter with the shadow Slade. No more dust, no more danger. But the mask itself was still very dangerous. It was a symbol of the evil of which Slade had been capable. Of the madness and the hatred. And more importantly, it was a symbol to Robin of everything he had strived -not- to be... yet had come dangerously close to becoming.

"Who are you?" asked Robin, holding the mask in his outstretched hand, regarding it.

"Don't you know, Robin?" came a sinister voice he knew all too well.

Robin immediately swung his bo staff over his head, glancing around, this way and that. No sign of the voice's source. It seemed to come from everywhere. It echoed off the basement walls.

"I told you who I am Robin. You really don't know who I am?"

Robin growled angrily, unable to find his foe. In his frustration, he turned back to the mask in his hand, addressing it as if it was Slade.

"Who are you?!" he shouted at it.

"I'm you!" replied the mask itself.

Robin gasped. Before he could react the mask leapt out of his hands and sprang towards him, flipping over the opposite direction and slapped firmly into place over his face. Gasping in shock Robin grabbed at the mask, trying to pry it from him, but his fingers could gain no purchase against the mask. He clawed ineffectively at it, struggling to free himself of the hated mask which was cutting off his air supply and his vision. Now he could see only out through the left eye-socket, and he could scarcely draw breath. The mask pressed closely against his nose and forced him to breath through his mouth.

"Get off of me... get off of me!" he cried ineffectively, trying to worm his fingers between his skin and the mask. They might have been seamlessly joined together, for all the effort he'd made.

"Robin?!" cried out a voice from above, and Robin glanced upwards, peering out through the eye-socket. He saw Starfire there, peering around high above. But then her gaze settled on him, and he felt relief wash over him. Surely she could remove the mask. His relief vanished, however, replaced by disbelief, as she saw her power up her starbolts, filling her hands with emerald fire.

"Starfire, what're you...?!"

"Slade!!" she shouted, launching her starbolts at Robin. Totally unprepared for the attack, he was caught full in the chest and sent flying into the evidence boxes, scattering items left and right as he landed hard on his back.

"Star, no! I'm not Slade!" he shouted, holding up his hands to ward off a further attack. But then he gave another sharp gasp at what he saw. Instead of his usual green gloves a pair of cold gray gauntlets covered his hands.

Starfire launched another starbolt at Robin, who dodged aside, still calling out to her. She didn't even seem to hear his words, she just kept attacking. So did the other Titans as they arrived, forcing Robin to roll and dodge aside their blasts and punches, on the receiving end of all the hatred the Titans had for their arch-enemy. Through it all he called out their names until his voice grew hoarse and he could scarcely breath behind the hated mask, still trying to tear it off. But he couldn't.

It was his face now.

He -was- Slade.

* * *

"Hello...?"

An echo was the only reply, the long towers were cold and quiet. The only sound were her own footsteps as she made her way from one room to another. First she would tentatively knock, waiting for a reply from within. Then again, but again no reply. Always no reply. Then she would search inside for signs of her missing friends. But they were not there. None of them were.

Beastboy's mess of clothes and spare costumes lay on the floor of his room, but Starfire did not find him under it (as she had one time, after he'd fallen asleep and it'd fallen on him during the night). Cyborg's recharger was unused. Robin's bed was empty. And though she had promised never to enter Raven's room without permission she would have gladly welcomed the mean yelling of her close 'friend-who-is-a-girl' (Raven did not enjoy being called 'girlfriend' by anyone) if it meant she could be talking to someone. But her strange and somewhat creepy room was empty as well.

They all were. The living room, the kitchen, the training hall, the T-Ship port, the basement. There was food in the fridge, there were clothes on the floor, there was Raven's old book lying on the table, the remote on the sofa. But of her friends there were no sign.

"Hellloooo?" called out Starfire mournfully, dutifully continuing to search up and down the length of Titan's Tower. Hoping for a glimpse of black spiky hair or a blue cowl. She would've settled for a patch of green skin or a cybernetic appendage, but she saw none of these things. She saw only the endless hallways and empty rooms of Titan's Tower. And all she heard was her own echoes, her own footsteps on the ground.

"Perhaps... perhaps my friends have gone to the park today," she said to herself, though her own explanation sounded lame, even to herself. Robin wouldn't have left her all alone. He would've at least told her where he was going if he had to leave. He always told everyone where he was going in case there was trouble. And they couldn't have all left but... they had.

Starfire floated up along the stairway, heading towards the roof. She'd fly up high into the sky, she could surely spot her friends from high up in the air. She'd find them.

The Tamaranian Princess pushed open the door to the roof and stepped out, preparing to launch into the air and up into the sky...

... except the sky was no longer there.

Starfire paused, hovering a few feeet above the rooftop, and gazed out beyond the Tower. Beyond the Tower was... nothing. Literally nothing. It was just a great white... nothingness, that stretched in every direction she could see. No sun, no stars, no ground, no water. Nothing in all directions, only the Tower remained.

The Tower... and Starfire.

She shivered then, feeling a cold chill run down her spine. All alone, she was. Devoid of any friends, and family, any one at all to speak to. She drifted down to the ground and curled up in a ball, shivering, closing her eyes tightly. From her eyelids streaked emerald tears down her cheeks as she cried, lamenting her fate.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Raven's nightmare sequence of course makes reference to 'Nevermore' with her emotional manifestations, particularly Happy, Timid and Brave. The others I had to name on the spot, considering how briefly they were seen in the episode. Robin's nightmare makes references to the events of 'Haunted' concerning the mask and dust. And now, just to add a little spice for anyone actually reading this (not going to be my proudest work, I suspect) I will inform you all that -one- of these nightmares sequences (including the gang in the next chapter) is "real." Next chapter: Cyborg, Beastboy, and Terra suffer their own horrible nightmares. Yes, you heard me right. Terra.

Ray1: Glad you're enjoying it.

Anakah: Well it's always nice to get new fans. Hope you like the rest.

Todd fan: I just love aliens, they're oh so much fun. 'specially the hot alien chicks like Kara and Koriand'r.

Snow Werewolf: Beyond the level of genius is… uh… super-genius? Kewl, many thanks.

Spazzfire: Try Raven, you get a nice thick blue cloak to keep you warm… though your legs might freeze.

Drowninginthoughs: Wow, I'd better toss you a lifeline, otherwise you might sink.

YojimbosBlade: Not really, no, but most people think teens are too old to trick or treat.

Poochie14: Don't worry more to come seeya.

Tigress419: Yup, plenty of possibilities involving lovable Raven, and indeed all the Titans.

Elrohirthewriter: You forgot Dr. D from the 'Faith and Valor' story. I've done this plot to death, I'll understand if you don't continue reading.

Crystal Renee: Always good thing to have more fans, and I see you also like IY and RK. Hope to keep you interested for a few future stories.

ViciousAssassin: Your theory is partially correct. Not the one about the book-sorcerer-dragon, of course, the other one. Honestly I don't know if Raven has any demonic relatives beside her father, but if she did it'd make for an interesting family reunion (I must jot that down as a future fic idea). No guarantees one way or the other with Terra, though I too would like to see her back. In the comics there's kinda a Terra II wandering around but I don't know the full story about her. Actually I think all the Titans are too old for it, but Beastboy's a real kid at heart and Starfire's probably very curious about any and all earth customs.


	3. III

Jungle heat pressed in on all sides but Beastboy barely paid it any heed. Nor did he notice much the caws of the jungle birds or the screeches of the monkey's. He'd heard them all before, he'd known about how the jungle land felt and sounded as well as he did the streets of Jump City. After all, he lived in the city, but he'd been raised her. In the wilderness. And he recognized this place instantly.

Upper Lamumba, Africa.

The place where his parents had saved his life, though they'd altered his body and given his skin its strange emerald hue. Where he'd acquired the gift of metamorphosis, able to assume the form of any animal, living or dead, from this world or another's. But the place held more significant to Beastboy than just that. This was where he'd first become Beastboy, after all. This was where he'd lost something precious to him, where he'd promised to use his powers to do what was right and good and help people before -they- lost those precious to him.

This was where his parents had died. A boating accident.

An accident he could have prevented.

Part of Beastboy's subconscious recognized the nature of the dream he'd entered into. He had it every night. So he was somewhat relaxed, even as he tore through the underbrush towards the river in the form of a green cheetah, heading after his parents. He needed to catch them in time. But again, his subconscious remembered he'd done so in his dreams, every night. He caught them in time and saved them... each time in a more heroic way than the last. He'd saved them and they'd continued to live together as a happy family until the alarm by his bed buzzed and awoke him, ending the dream.

However this time the dream was... a little different.

Beastboy kept moving faster... and faster... his legs pounding against the ground until there was no more ground beneath him and he realized he'd been heedlessly hurled into the fast flowing river that he'd sought. Instantly his fur was soaked, but that vanished in seconds, replaced by green scales as he assumed the form of a crocodile to allow him better navigation in the water. There, he spotted them instantly. His parent's boat, with the two scientists in it, being carried too far downstream towards the rapids. Beastboy went after them, using his powerful tail and legs to propel himself forward.

But as he neared the poor Logan's boat, with his mother and father, Mark and Marie, inside, things suddenly took a turn for the worse.

The water suddenly ran crimson with blood, nearly obscuring Beastboy's vision. At first he was shocked, then he remembered, his mother had cut herself on a loose nail. The boat jostled her. But a dim part in the back of his mind told him that his dreams had never let that happen before. Ignore it, he moved faster, trying to catch up to them. As he did, he planned to leap aboard, change into another animal, and carry them to safety.

Instead... he opened his mouth wide and sank all fifty-six of his sharp yellow teeth deep into his father's arm, tearing it clear off his shoulder and letting a torrent of thick, hot red blood wash over them both. Beastboy's mother, Marie, gave a scream as she saw him attack their boat, seeing the great green crocodile hungrily munch down on the arm, then take another chunk out of Mark Logan, ripping him to bits in moments. At that moment the boat struck the rapids and crashed hard into a rock, sending Marie and the remains of Mark overboard to their terrible death's, as they had a few years ago, shortly after the emergence of Beastboy's powers.

His body reacted without thinking, for Beastboy could not think. He was aghast at the terrible thing he had just done. No, he hadn't done it... he couldn't have! He loved both of his parents deeply, they'd been the best mother and father in the whole world. They'd saved his life when he'd been a toddler, and done everything they could to bring him up happy.

... and he'd repaid them by killing them by both.

Beastboy barely realized as he dropped down onto the river's bank in his humanoid form. But something else did. Something inside of him. Something primal and dark and sinister, something... instinctive. Something animal-like. Something that always lurked on the corners of his mind. But now it pushed them aside, and his human thoughts, his conscience and his morality, were pushed to the edges.

A sudden scent came to his nostrils. A familiar scent. He recognized it instantly, even without his primal self telling him what it meant. She'd always worn it. It was perfume, the sweet scent of jasmine mixed with the earth's dust and sweat, which always seemed to accompany her, no matter how recently she'd bathed.

"Terrraa..." he rasped out, grinning like a wicked animal. His tongue snaked out, running along the edge of his sharp teeth. Teeth that had, until today, been content to tear into tofu instead of flesh. Even as his higher reasoning was shocked by his body's words and movements. But he was powerless to stop himself against his primal urges.

His body shifted again, assuming the form of a great green wolf with his own eyes staring out balefully. Taking another swift sniff to locate the scent of his prey, Beastboy took off, bounding through the jungle after her, even as he tried to stop himself.

But he couldn't.

* * *

Bright, intense white light. So bright it burned the human eye, and anyone else who awoke to find themselves peering up at such powerful white lights would've immediately shut their eyes and rolled their heads to keep their vision.

But not him...

Not now.

Cyborg slowly, painfully, sat upright. His entire body felt strange and only... half there, really. Like he was on painkillers. Or still half-asleep really. Something just... didn't feel right. He shifted again, sitting up right, pressing a hand to his left temple, trying to figure out what was wrong. Was he sick? He didn't get sick often. One of the benefits of having so little remaining flesh was that it was harder for bacteria and the like to affect him, and even if they did, he had built in defenses right in his mechanized flesh. The only real time he remember being really, truly sick was that time Beastboy got his cybernetics infected with a computer virus.

**System Operational**

Cyborg almost gave a sigh of relief. As much as he sometimes hated the computer side of his brain, it was reassuring to have a constant update of his physical condition at all times.

_Query_, he thought instinctively, well accustomed to dealing with the unique nature in which his brain worked. What happened?

**Unknown.**** No records for the past 46.9 hours. Before that...**

Cyborg was suddenly reminded of last night. Oh yes, he remembered it well. He'd headed for some downtime and to recharge. He didn't exactly sleep... hell, he didn't really -need- to sleep. But it gave him a slight sense of psychological comfort to sleep. And to dream.

Suddenly the door opened, and Cyborg turned his head in alarm, wondering who was there... or where he was. Two days was a heck of a lot more time than he would've needed to nap. Maybe he'd been kidnapped or attacked or damaged or... But he felt a vast sigh of relief well up in him as he saw who it was.

It was his dad.

"Dad... hey..." he started to say, but then immediately stopped. His voice sounded wrong, somehow. Those were his words but they sounded like... like... well he couldn't tell. Something on the tip of his tongue. Then he realized something else. Something else that chilled him. He couldn't feel his tongue. Or his mouth for that matter it felt... wrong. Inorganic. Mechanical.

"Oh son, you're alright... that's sooo good," said the elder Stone, making his way inside the room. Something seemed strange about him too. He seemed to have a lot more gray in his hair, and had a nervous tic under his eye. And he didn't seem to be... well... blinking.

"Father... what am I doing here? What's going on?" he asked, sliding off the operating table he'd been laying on. That also didn't do much to calm him either. That last time he'd laid on this table was... he shivered to think of it... the accident that had left him less than completely human.

"It's okay son... everything is going to be fine," said the elder Stone, laying his hand on Cyborg's arm. But that too-wide smile didn't leave his face. "I just needed to finish what I'd started, that's all."

"Finish... finish what you started?"

"Oh yes of course!" said his father. "You didn't think I'd finished with you, did you? Oh my silly boy... come come... let me show you what I've done..." he said, taking Cyborg's hand, guiding him. Cyborg reluctantly went with him, but then cringed as he realized their destination.

The mirror.

The same mirror he'd peered into that night. Without even thinking about it, Cyborg's mechanical mind provided him with a flashback, a series of events that had happened so long ago.

_Hesitantly, the elder Stone pointed a trembling finger, directing Victor's gaze to a mirror occupying the far wall. Victor turned, looked..._

_... and saw himself. One half of his face, the right half, was still mostly human, with his smooth, dark skin visible and his chocolate brown eye, wide with fright. But the other side... was all machinery. Glowing white and blue with visible circuits and chips, all artificial. And a red orb that peered out from under his chrome brow in place of his other eye._

_He was no longer human._

_He was... a Cyborg._

_A crash of thunder split the air._

**_Error._****_ Error. Error._**

_What happened next was a blur. There was a crash, a scream, Victor's dad crying out but Victor couldn't recognize any of the words. He smashed blindly through the wall, running on his two legs, trying to get away._

"What did you do to me?" said Cyborg, yanking his arm back suddenly from his father's grip. He couldn't go near that mirror. He didn't want to see. He couldn't... he shouldn't. No. No, something was horribly wrong. He knew it.

"Why, I finished you, son," said Cyborg's father, ignoring his son cowering behind him, and picked up the mirror in question. He turned it to face Cyborg who, paralyzed by fear, could not find the strength to turn away in time to avoid the image contained therein. The reflection of what had happened to him. But it now all made a horrifying, dreadful sense.

Two red glowing eyes peered out from under both of his chrome brows, separated by a steel nose. No sign of his dark flesh remained, not a single trace of his humanity was present. He was simply a machine.

"NO!" he shouted in his mechanized voice, lashing out with his fist, shattering the mirror. The blow tossed his father to the ground, but Cyborg barely noticed. He rushed to the door, tearing it clear off its hinges. _No, this couldn't be!_ He had to get out. He needed to escape. Cyborg turned blindly, running without any sense of direction. When next he slammed into something solid it caught him totally by surprise, and he staggered backwards, peering up at what it was.

Another mirror, reflecting him in all his hideous mechanized glory.

"Behold the wonders of science," came his dad's voice behind him. His words were edged with madness.

"NO!" Cyborg lashed out again, shattering the mirror. But another lay a short distance behind it. Cyborg turned, trying to run a different direction, but everywhere he looked, all he could see was himself. No longer the Cyborg, the part-man...

... Machine, the no-man.

* * *

Stars shined above, cities shined below. During the night especially it was always the prettiest time for her. And so she tended to sleep during the day wherever she was, cruise the skies at night, riding the great boulder that had become her ship.

Terra smiled, free at least. Free to wander, free to use her powers as she saw fit. No longer was she cursed to destroy that which she cared about. No longer was she slaved to a heartless master. She was as free as the land that answered her calls. She -was- lonely, it was true, and she often wished for Beastboy at her side. But such was not to be her fate, it seemed. She was again a aimless wanderer, cruising the world.

Terra dropped her stone in lower, cruising down at a level below the clouds to see what particular city she'd come across today. To her surprise, she recognized it almost instantly.

It was Jump City.

Quietly amazed, she dipped in closer. She saw sights she recognized, though it was dark and silent in the nighttime, the city quiet as most slept. She saw the ferris wheel where Beastboy and she had nearly... she blushed to think of it. Had Slade not interrupted them, at least. She saw the pizza-shaped pizza store where she'd hung out with the other Titans. She saw the mall where she and Starfire had gone window-shopping.

And there, on the edge of city... Terra gestured, letting the rock speed between skyscrapers to take her closer...

... Titan's Tower.

Terra gazed at it quietly, serenely, sitting on the edge of her floating boulder like it was a seat, peering down at her first, real home. Markovia had never been a real home to her. Not somewhere she'd been accepted. Not somewhere she'd been trusted... or even liked. But here, at Titan's Tower... she'd had everything. A roof over her head... three meals a day... a family... two protective older brothers... a guiding older sister... the closest of friends...

... a boyfriend...

... Terra sighed softly, her eyes wet with unshed tears. She'd had it all, and she'd lost it. Because she'd betrayed the wrong side. Because she'd sided with Slade against the Titans, rather than confess her nature as a spy and turn them against him instead. But he'd so completely brainwashed her with his teachings of violence and hatred. She'd swallowed them so completely, so eager for the control he'd given her she hadn't noticed until it was far, far too late.

Terra idly brushed away the tears from her eyes, again peering down at the home that was no longer hers. However, as her vision cleared, she gave a sharp gasp. Standing on top of Titan's Tower was a sinister figure that, even from a distance, she recognized all too well.

Slade.

The psychotic mastermind was engaged in a fight with the Titans, she was totally shocked she hadn't heard the sounds of exploding starbolts and plasma blasts until just now. But she did now, she could see them fighting. The Titans seemed to be at a disadvantage against their sworn enemy. They were unable to hit their opponent, unable to touch Slade as he leapt away or batted aside attacks meant to destroy him. He was toying with them.

Golden yellow energy poured from Terra's eyes as she launched her boulder forward, assuming a battle-stance. She'd crush...

_... wait..._

The boulder halted in midair, jarring so suddenly that had Terra not been the one who stopped it, likely it would've pitched her clear off.

_... whose side am I on?_

She shivered fearfully. She didn't know. The Titans had offered her a home, but Slade had offered her control. She owed them both a great deal, she couldn't make such a simple decision so suddenly. Not now.

However, what happened next managed to neatly convince her chosen course of action.

A great green lion roared and launched itself at Slade, slashing with its great claws, but the masked criminal launched out a bone-shattering punch to the animal's face, sending it crashing to the ground on the edge of the rooftop. There, it reverted to its usual form of Beastboy, though he was unconscious and badly hurt from the attack. That was all the prompting Terra needed. She launched herself forward, reaching out with her powers to grab great boulders of stone and earth from Titan's Island and threw them with all her might at Slade.

"Well well, the final Titan is here," said Slade quietly, dodging aside the rocks and landing atop of one of them, seemingly with minimal effort. His casualness only enraged Terra further. "Perfect. Now I can destroy you all in one blow."

"You're the only one whose going to die, SLADE!!" she roared, lifting up yet more and bigger boulders to throw at the criminal mastermind, who dodged aside or over them with speed and agility unmatched by any normal man. Terra's rage grew, and with it her power. But had she been more careful, had she noticed what she was doing...

... great chunks of the island were being hurled at the Tower, making it tremble. Coupled with the fact that its supports had been torn away in Terra's blind rage, the Tower was starting to tremble. She saw none of this, however. She saw only her enemy, her hated enemy who'd hurt the only boy she'd ever loved.

She was going to destroy him.

A final boulder finally crashed into Slade, who made no effort to move to dodge it this final time. It had been entirely too big. However, just as it was about to strike, Slade seemed to shimmer and vanish before her eyes. But the boulder slammed fully into the Tower as well, and its supports snapped, the Tower toppled, crashing down against the island as Terra gasped in shock. Instantly she flew in close, the smoke blinding her. She waved it aside, manipulating the tiny dust particles as easily as the larger stones, and then gave a horrified cry as she saw what awaited her below.

Amongst the broken pieces of the Tower's steel and glass lay five distinct shapes. All of them broken, battered, and quite, quite dead. The closest lay at Terra's feet, and she knelt down, hesitantly, wishing with all her heart it was not the truth... but it was.

Beastboy was seriously hurt... and dying.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Actually I suspect Beastboy's nightmare/greatest fear is going to be introduced to us in 'The Beast Within,' an upcoming Titan episode. Hopefully my guess won't be too far off the mark. Cyborg's nightmare was obtained mostly from 'Sum of his Parts' with some added flashbacks to 'Secret Origins.' There is a reason I've inserted Terra in her despite her animated demise, it'll all be explained soon enough. Her nightmare was easiest of all, since she lived through most of it in every episode we saw her in. Next chapter: Our villain is revealed, as well as some more explanations concerning the terrible events plaguing Titan's Tower.

Nariko: Oh I intend to, believe you me.

Katergator: Maybe even faster! Faster than a speeding bullet!

Todd fan: Me too actually, I really wish I could get more details. You'll see plenty more of Trigon to come.

Spazzfire: Terra in the Yukon probably wouldn't be recognized. I say go as a female Cyborg, you can get your own built-in heater.

Poochie14: More on its way, fast as can be.

Crystal Renee: Yup, one's 'real.' Not exactly coming back but she's involved, it'll be explained later. Careful with the IY DVD's, they can quickly eat into whatever cash you have. Titan websites? Comic or Animated?

ViciousAssassin: Not quite what you expected, was it? Good to see you're sticking to your guess, care to change it now? And yes this is before Wavelength, I will not violate continuity, you know me. I have an explanation ready and an escape plan up my sleeve.

InnoscenTorn: Humor? This is the horror angle! Horror!! But glad you're enjoying it regardless, for whatever reasons. Starfire's, hmmm? Care to change your mind now?

Dragonblond: Hooray, Dragonblond's reading my story! And she helped to inspire it too!! Yay!!! Arrrrgh, I should put pumpkins by Titan's Tower!! I forgot... noooooo...!!! Have fun.

Tigress419: Certainly does, eh? Seems we're all Canadian here. Now its time to give Terra somethin' to cry a-boot!

Ray1: Well, not quite. Actually this more closely resembles what I did with the X-Men waaaay waaay back in 'Nightmares.' Though I'd like to think I've improved a lot since those days.


	4. IV

Outside Titan's Tower, a single man stood before a small group of wicked warriors. He wasn't a young man, he seemed perhaps into his middle years, with grayish hair swept back into two points not unlike a devil's horns, and sunken eyes, though lined with few wrinkles. He wore the trappings of a white-robed priest, though the symbol on his chest was no cross, but a demonic skull.

His name was Brother Blood.

The gathering of HIVE soldiers behind him he'd brought along to witness his glorious victory against the Titans, one of his most promising teams. Six of his yellow-armored soldiers, armed with the latest and most deadly of weapons. Apart from the original HIVE trio, Stone and Bumblebee, his most promising of minions. Stone of course having been officially expelled. Bumblebee was busy working on another of Blood's projects, along with some of his other students. And his trio were still in detention over their last failure.

Still, if he was successful here, he might not need bother with any other personal projects.

Brother Blood cast an idle glance at his soldiers, who seemed to be bickering over a stupid card game_. Imbeciles_, he thought to himself. _This was the end of the Teen Titans and they were playing POKER?!?!?!_

Brother Blood growled darkly, but refrained from making a comment. Nothing could ruin this moment for him.

"_You seem to be enjoying yourself servant_," hissed a voice near his ear. Powerful though it was, none of the other HIVE kids could hear it, only Brother Blood. Nor did it have a visible source. Unsurprising, considering it didn't have a physical form.

Yet.

"All is progressing as we had hoped, Master," he replied graciously, speaking to unseen air. His soldiers paid him no heed. Idly Brother Blood shifted the tome held under his arm, bringing it up so he could admire it in the moonlight. It was a black book, crafted of an alien metal designed to last throughout the centuries, unlike paper pages and leather bindings of regular books. Ancient sigils and runes had been painstakingly crafted into the black metal book, then illuminated with red crushed gemstones. It was as powerful as it was darkly beautiful, and malevolent as it was powerful.

"The spell you guided me too has proven most useful. Now they will not live to see the dawn's light."

"_Do not underestimate them, 'Brother' Blood_," hissed the voice darkly in Brother Blood's ear, making him wince involuntarily. "_Especially not my daughter.__ Recall if you are capable that I do not want her to be slain_."

"Of course not, of course not," placated Brother Blood. "Raven won't be killed, you know that. But the spell will make it so she's properly broken and more easily controlled. She'll be easier to use then."

"_Excellent. You have no further difficulties?_"

"Thanks to the spell none. Ironic, actually, considering how it easy it was to turn one of their friends against the others. I really must thank you personally... once you're out of course," he added as an after-thought.

"_A reminder I do not appreciate, Blood_," hissed the voice again. A wave of pain accompanied it, forcing Brother Blood to clutch his head in agony. Foolish, he thought to himself. Do not push him. He could obliterate you with less effort than it takes to bat an eye.

"My apologies... Master," he said.

"_Good_."

And then it was gone, leaving only Brother Blood and his three witless lackeys behind. Brother Blood shifted the tome again, sliding it under his arm. The spell was indeed powerful, but he had his doubts. He took care never to announce them in front of his master, such a sign of weakness, of hesitation, could've easily meant his end. It had certainly meant the end of the last man who'd called himself Brother Blood. His father, no less. He'd enjoyed ending the fool's life in his moment of weakness, taking the role for himself.

The Titans would be crushed. They could not do battle against that which they feared most.

Idly, Brother Blood made a gesture and chanted an incantation, calling on his sorcery. Though he was a naturally gifted telepath, the majority of his power came from outside sources. Sorcery and science. Both of them were very useful to him, both of them were used to further his ends. Much like the criminal Slade, though he had foolishly worked alone, not seeking and even denying aid from any outside source other than his chosen apprentices. It was no surprised he'd been crushed so easily by the rock-tumbler.

The HIVE, on the other hand, took every possible advantage they could grab, every possible angle they could exploit, and despite Brother Blood's recent move to take control of the organization (removing their previous Headmistress with little difficulty) he was a firm follower of their philosophy.

After all, it was getting the job done, wasn't it?

Six rectangular images formed around Brother Blood, forming a hexagon to surround him so that whichever way he turned he saw a Titan's individual suffering, getting a glimpse into their worst of nightmares. In some, he was simply tempted to laugh. They feared these? Things that normal men craved, like power and destruction? Or simple things like being alone? Foolish creatures, all of them.

"Who can fathom how the heroes mind work?" he asked aloud to himself, giving a dark chuckle.

Well, no matter, he thought. They'd be dead by dawn. All of them save Raven... even Cyborg. His resistance to Brother Blood's hypnotism didn't make him immune to all such manner of mind-control methods. Especially when it came from such a powerful source as his Master's daughter. His spell had allowed Anger to free herself from deep inside of Raven. And through Anger, the other Titans were being attacked by Raven's own telepathy. Even if her own nightmare didn't destroy her, she'd been destroyed just as readily by the knowledge of killing her best friends.

Only one thing truly bothered Brother Blood now, and he turned in a half-circle, facing the image that had previously been to his back. That of the earth-shaker, Terra, as she lived out her own nightmare of destruction and dead friends and enemies alike.

Terra was supposed to be dead. The Titans hadn't announced details of their battle to the world, but the HIVE had made an effort to keep a watch on both them and Slade ever since their first encounter ages ago. They'd seen what had become of Terra. She'd been turned into a completely stone statue. Had that been a ruse of some manner?

Brother Blood frowned darkly, watching the image before him.

Because of the spell used, Anger had instinctively attached onto anyone Raven considered a friend, thus limiting her reach from going after anyone the HIVE might actually have a use for. And as another possible benefit, eliminating other heroes who'd been in contact with Raven, though as of yet the HIVE hadn't seen any progress in that direction. Raven seemed to keep her friends in a rather close-knit circle. Yet Anger had also struck out after Terra, who was supposedly dead.

Perhaps...

"... she isn't dead?" he asked aloud.

A number of possibilities presented themselves. Brother Blood had both lived and been a costumed super-villain for many years, he knew of the possibilities of existence surrounding those and his ilk. Two seemed the most prevalent. One, that Terra was indeed alive, that the statue deep beneath Jump City was simply a ruse to allow her to continue on her way untroubled by anyone. If so, it was a good ruse, and it had even fooled the Titans and the HIVE. Two, that she was still alive but her body was frozen in stone, and only her mind had survived.

The second seemed more likely, but Brother Blood could take no chances. Not against the Titans. Not with his Master watching.

With a wave of his hand he dispelled the images, letting them vanish. Then he turned his attention to his HIVE underlings. "You three! Go and patrol the island immediately. Stay within visual range of one another and keep an eye out for Ter... for... for the authorities," he said, deciding not to voice his suspicions aloud.

"Oh come on, who bothers to check out this dumb island anymore?" asked one of them from behind his helmet, annoyed because he'd been winning their little poker game... mostly due to his cheating, of course. He had at least half a dozen aces hidden up his sleeve.

"You will DO AS I ORDERED," said Brother Blood, his eyes giving off their characteristic red glow as he activated his hypnotic power, forcing his will upon these stupid soldiers. In an instant they'd snapped to their feet and were doing his bidding.

"Better," he spat out as they worked quickly to appease him. Then he turned back to the dark Titan's Tower, waiting. In time, they'd fall, and he would be victorious. But for now he had to wait. Besides, the longer they took to fall, the more terrible their suffering. And after all they'd done to thwart Brother Blood's plans, they deserved to suffer greatly indeed.

* * *

Raven's powers were greatly weakened by her struggle with Anger, which was indeed the source of the majority of her power. The emotion was mainly her father's, after all, and it was his demonic blood that fueled her magic, as much as she wished it was not. Thus, with anger freed from her control her powers were limited. And because of the nature of Brother Blood's spell, she couldn't join her other emotions to recapture Anger. They were as helpless as she was. 

All but one of them.

None of the others new about this emotion. Raven had carefully kept her knowledge secret from the others, especially Anger. Not even Happy knew about this particular emotion, Raven kept her hidden in the very back of her mind, careful to nurture her and protect her, ready her for the day she might be able to come out and be expressed. As it was, she had little choice now. This emotional manifestation was the only hope she and the other Titans had left. If she didn't succeed, they were all doomed.

And after them, the world... no... the universe... was doomed.

Raven released Hope, and the white-cloaked little manifestation awoke in Raven's mind.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Much shorter than most of the other chapters I know, but this is primarily explanatory, I'll get back to the Titan's individual torments shortly. Plus I'm trying to get the chapters out so that the final one is Halloween Night, of course. Oh yes, and of course the unmasking of the villain. Or should I say villains. As with 'Secret Origins,' I make no mention of Trigon's true name because the Titan's obviously don't know who he is. Like in 'Nevermore,' where Raven refers to him only as her father. The connection between Trigon and Brother Blood is comic inspired, there's been no evidence of it in the animated series (yet). In the comics Brother Blood's cult was founded on worship of Trigon, and he conspired to take Raven as his bride and bring about the end of the world. Oh, and also comic-related is the slaying of the father to become the new Brother Blood. The current one in the comics was the eighth, I think. Got kinda confusing in the more recent history. Next chapter: Terra, Cyborg, Beastboy. Can Raven's little helper save them? Or have they lost hope, doomed only to know despair?

ViciousAssassin: I only hope I'm write about Beastboy's fears, he's one of the hardest Titans to properly understand. And yeah most people have forgotten about the season one episodes, I make it a point to remind the fans of events from throughout the series. All good stuff. Wise idea not to change your guess, as you can no doubt see.

Katergator: Up my sleeve? Nono, under my cape! Muwahaha. I'm glad you're enjoying the story, hope you enjoy the explanations for all that has come to pass.

Taiba: Wow, I'd love to really, but my heart belongs only to Supergirl. No fluff here, no sirree. Maybe a few tender moments towards the end but that's a long way's off.

Todd fan: Thanks for the review, as usual.

Crystal Renee: Herbivore. Plant-eating animals are herbivores. And actually (I've been mistaken about this too, believe me) Beastboy is a vegan, not a vegetarian. Glad you think his nightmare makes sense, I was worried most about his.

Spazzfire: Sounds good to me. And I agree, BB's past is rather interesting, like most of the Titans. It's a pity they don't get to show much of it in the episodes.

Yomiori-wolfdemon: Well glad to welcome you into the fold as a frequent (and I mean frequent) reviewer! I dunno about Almighty Greatness. But meh, whatever works. I just have ideas in my head and I write 'em. I'm glad people appreciate 'em as much as I do, however.

Tigress419: Woohoo! Good plot good! Yay! And I know exactly what you mean about Beastboy, he's got to be affected worst by this, whereas the badass members of the Titans are likely going to shrug it off with no difficulty.

Ray1: I'd prefer to wait until the series is over (though of course I paradoxically also hope the series never ends) before I write more stories like I did with Evo. Same with Justice League. But glad to hear you have confidence in my abilities.

ShadowSage2: He was sorta helpless to stop himself from becoming Slade, wasn't he? No but I get your drift, I just thought of that mask and the idea popped in my head. Plus it coincides with the nightmare we saw at the beginning of 'Apprentice part 1.'


	5. V

Terra cradled Beastboy's head in her arms, holding it with the utmost tenderness, trying not to hurt him further. Thick smoke still filled the air, infused with the scent of death. The deaths of the Titans, the deaths of Slade. But none of that mattered to Terra right now. She didn't want to lose Beastboy as well.

"Beastboy," she called out. "Please, say something... anything..."

"Terra...?" he rasped out, his voice deathly soft.

"Oh thank goodness," she breathed out, never feeling more relieved in her life. Gently, she picked up Beastboy, as always marveling at just how light he was in her arms. And how small he was, even Terra was taller than he. Right now, he seemed impossibly fragile, and she carried him with the utmost care onto a solid piece of rock and lifted it up into the sky, carrying him towards a hospital. She needed to save him.

"You... you destroyed the Tower..." he whispered, his eyes closed, his voice accusing even with its weak tone.

"I... I had no choice," she replied hesitantly. Her heart ached over the destruction, but she pushed those sad feelings aside. Her first concern was Beastboy.

"But you... you killed them all...!" he shouted weakly, pushing at her shoulders. She dropped him, and he landed roughly on his feet, hissing painfully. He must've had broken bones. Terra started to move forward to catch him but he swatted her hands away. Her expression was one of pain as he hit the ground, barely managing to keep on his knees, supporting his body with his left arm. His right arm hung limply at his side.

"Beastboy stop you're hurting yourself!" she said. "Let me help..."

"You've helped enough!" he shouted back at her.

"I didn't mean to hurt anyone!"

"That didn't seem to stop you!!"

"I was trying to save you all from Slade!!"

"You worked for Slade!! You betrayed us!! You betrayed -me-!!"

"I... I..." she started to say, but stopped, sinking to her knees, barely aware of the tears coursing down her cheeks. She had no response to that. It was, after all, true.

"What?!" he shouted angrily, grabbing her by the collar and yanking her forward, his angry face inches away from her terrified one. "You wanted to save me, why?! Did you want to keep me as your damn pet?!?!"

"No!! Beastboy, I... I..."

"Well I'd rather have died with my friends then!" he shouted out, ignoring her. Without even a backward glance he pitched himself off the side of the floating boulder, drawing a startled cry from Terra as she watched him plummet down towards the bay below.

"Beastboy...!!" she cried out, immediately commanding her rock to dive, hurling both herself and the stone quickly towards the water, far faster than it would've fallen, faster than Beastboy fell. Still, they weren't going to make it... unless...

... Terra threw out her hand and at the same time back-flipped in the air, leaping off the rock and hurling it forward, letting it scoop underneath Beastboy and catch him before he hit the water. The drawback to her plan, of course, was that she herself had no such ability to stop her descent and she hit the waves, diving in to reduce the impact as best she was able. Still, from the height she'd fallen, it'd still hurt pretty badly. Belatedly she swam towards her stone, keeping it afloat with her power, and climbed aboard. Beastboy was unconscious.

"Beastboy I'm... I'm so sorry," she whispered, tears coursing down her cheeks as she hugged him close, though trying not to injure him further. "I know what you told me that... that I have a choice but... no matter what I seem to do someone seems to get hurt. I can stop it... I can't... I can't... stop it..." she broke off into tears, soaking Beastboy's uniform as she clung to his unconscious form, wishing desperately in that moment that all that had come to pass had not.

"Help me please... someone... help me..." she whispered through the tears, wishing desperately for someone... anyone... to help her. To save her. To take everything bad and make it right. Like her mom used to, when she'd been little.

"As you wish," came a soft, silibant voice behind her. Like a serpent's hiss.

Terra whirled around, startled. There, beside her boulder was a smallish motorboat. She hadn't even heard it approach, she'd been too busy crying, her own sobs drowning out all other sounds. And standing atop the bow of the ship, peering down at her, arms behind his back in a casual stance was the person she hated most in the world.

Slade.

"YOU!" she shouted. Instantly her eyes filled with a golden glow, the same glow engulfed her hands as she sought out nearby rocks to use against this, her most dread enemy.

"Stay your hand Terra," he said, holding up a hand of his own to ward off her attack. That simple gesture stopped her, though the glow did not leave her hands. "You asked for help... do you now intend to reject it?"

"I..."

"I thought not. Come now, Apprentice," he said, offering his hand now. "Come back to me, and I'll save Beastboy's life. You have my word," he added, his one eye boring into hers. She shivered, but hesitantly stretched out a hand. Slade never broke his word... if... if he could save Beastboy... she didn't care what price he demanded...

"... Wait!"

Terra stopped, her hand inches from Slade's as she glanced back over her shoulder, seeing Beastboy had sat up and was reaching out to her imploringly. Gone from his face was any trace of anger. Or any other expression, rather. He didn't seem... quite himself. Something about him seemed strange. Like he was a puppet. Strange violet eyes peered out from underneath his brow, not his normal green eyes. And then Terra recognized them.

Those were Raven's eyes!

"Terra, do not do this... you know what going down the path leads to," said Beastboy. Or rather, not Beastboy, but Hope, though Terra did not realize it. The eyes and the voice were Raven's, and the form it had borrowed in this dreamscape was Beastboy's, but it was Hope. "Do not do this."

"I... I have to," she said, turning back to Slade. He was still standing there, still holding out his hand. Waiting patiently. "It's the only way to save Beastboy..."

"That isn't true. There is always another way. And you always have a choice, Terra. Do you intend to make the same mistake again? Or learn from it?" asked Hope, her voice edged slightly with characteristic Raven's sarcasm. Terra hesitated, thinking. Both Hope and Slade awaited her decision, hovering over her two sides like the metaphysical angel and devil on her shoulders.

"I... I make my own choice," she said aloud. "And I choose... you."

Slade glowered darkly while Beastboy smiled, his eyes returned to normal, Hope having left. The nightmare was over for Terra. Already Slade had vanished like fog in the morning light, and Terra hugged Beastboy close to her. And, even better, he returned the hug this time, stroking her head softly, whispering soothing and comforting words to her that she couldn't hear. But she didn't care.

For Terra, the nightmare was over... but Hope flapped her ivory cloak and vanished from this dreamscape, moving to the next. Things were not yet over... not by a long-shot.

* * *

Deep in the labyrinth of mirrors, the cries of horror had died away, replaced by a more ominous sound.

The sound of silence.

Cyborg had collapsed in a corner of the hallway, huddled tight into a ball, arms wrapped around his legs. He did not shiver, he did not cry. His body was steel, steel did not shiver the way human muscle did. His eyes were glass and fiber-optics, they could not produce tears. Cyborg had tried to shut himself down, to end his misery, but death too was denied to him. His body would simply re-activate in a few seconds, and he was again forced to peer at the countless surrounding mirrors at his own hideous countenance.

"Cyborg...!"

Cyborg heard the voice. He heard almost everything now. He couldn't ignore it. And in the utter silence of the labrynth, sound traveled remarkably well from one end to the other. Thus, he'd heard the soft semi-whisper. But who was it? It couldn't have been his dad... someone else was here?

Hesitantly, Cyborg pushed himself to his feet, scanning in three hundred sixty degrees, despite the pain it caused him. Every direction he looked, he saw a mirror, and every mirror showed only him.

"Cyborg...!"

"Who's there?!" he cried out, turning this way and that. "What do you want with me?!"

"I want to fix you...!" replied the voice, again seeming to echo from everywhere at once.

"No way!!" shouted Cyborg, both his arms switching instantly to plasma cannons, aiming them down both ends of the corridor. No matter which way his foe came from, he'd obliterate them. "I don't need any more repairs, you hear me?! Never again!!"

"Cyborg, please... let me save you...! I'm your friend...!"

"WHO ARE YOU?!" he shouted, his mechanized voice (normally flat and emotionless) filled with his panic.

"I fix things... I make them better," said the voice, more localized now. Cyborg pin-pointed it, pointing both his arms down the right corridor, waiting for the bastard to come forward. He knew exact who it was now.

"Alright come on out here Fixit! I'll show you exactly what the full machine is capable of!! I'll dip your motherboards in acid!!"

Fixit did indeed appear, but then stopped at the end of the corridor, watching Cyborg quietly with his cold, mechanized blue eyes. He appeared remarkably calm, but considering his face was silicon it wasn't any surprise, he likely would've looked the same if falling into a vat of lava. But for some reason he seemed somehow... sad. And his sadness was directed at Cyborg.

"Get the hell away from me!!" shouted Cyborg, both his eyes provided a double-lock for his plasma cannons. No way he could miss. Machines didn't make mistakes. But Fixit made no effort to dodge the blasts, no effort to stop them. He took a slow step towards Cyborg.

"Get the hell away from me!"

"Cyborg..." he repeated, his voice changing. Cyborg could tell instantly, his inner sensors detected a distinctly different wavelength. And if that wasn't strange enough, Fixit's eyes had altered, going from a straight blue hue to white with human pupils. Familiar ones.

"Raven?" he asked, confused and frightened. Had he still had a heart, he imagined it would've been beating like crazy now. His arms shifted back into hands.

Fixit shook his head. "No," he/she/it replied. "I am Hope... I'm here to save you Cyborg. But I require your assistance."

"No... leave me alone!" said Cyborg, turning to run. But he skidded to a halt again, inches away from one of the mirror-like walls of the labrynth, and gave a low, mechanized moan, covering his eyes. "... leave me alone..."

"Cyborg please... let me help you. I need your help."

**Enemy Presence Detected. Enemy Presence Detected. Activating Self-Defense Measures.**

"Get away from me!" he roared, lashing out with his mechanized fist, grabbing a fistful of Fixit's robe and hauling him off his feet. His other arm switched to a plasma cannon, targeting Fixit's face.

**Target Acquired. Terminate. Terminate. Terminate.**

"Cyborg... remember who you are... remember -what- you are."

**Terminate. Terminate. Terminate.**

"I..."

**Terminate. Terminate. Terminate.**

"I...!!"

**Terminate. Terminate. TERMINATE.**

"I am not going to kill you!!" he shouted, hurling Fixit aside. The wiry mechanic hit the ground with a dull thud, even as Cyborg reached up, placing a hand on his own arm, and forced it down, forced it to become a hand once more, forced himself to take control. "I am in control," he said.

"You remembered," said Fixit, still speaking with Raven's voice. It sounded eerie coming from his mouth. "Now I can fix you," he went on, his voice sliding back into the semi-cold, monotone voice of its proper owner. Fixit drew out a single long bar from his sleeve, holding it up. It didn't even look much like a tool, just a metal toothpick really. Cyborg watched cautiously.

"I'll fix you," he said again, and drove the bar hard into Cyborg's chest, into a previously unnoticed slot.

Cyborg screamed, gave a purely human yell as his body shifted, the metal plates sliding back, vanishing to god's-only-knew-where, and a bright light engulfed him, overloading even his optic receptors.

When the light had cleared... he could see... through two separate eyes. One still remained the hated and feared optic fibers and red glass. But the other... the other was a normal warm, brown human eye.

"Thank you," he whispered in his human voice.

"Do not thank me," replied Fixit. "I was merely the tool. You were the mechanic here. You remembered, as you have tried to teach me, that it isn't the machine that defines people like you and I. It is the heart."

"Thanks Hope... Fixit... whoever you are."

**Wake-Up Sequence Initiated**

* * *

Beastboy bounded through the thick foliage of the jungle, easily keeping pace with his prey. Every so often a bright gold lock would become visible in the otherwise green and brown monotony of the place, telling him she was very close indeed. But he often slowed, giving her a chance to continue running. No sense in ruining his fun by ending it so soon.

Deep inside the monstrous green wolf that was Beastboy, the higher side of his mind was struggling to reassert control over his darker instincts. But as usual, he was helpless. He could see, hear, smell, feel everything he was doing, but it wasn't he who was doing it. It was like being in the grasp of a puppet-master. And he was being forced to watch it all, as he tracked down the girl he loved. To eat her or...

... he didn't even want to think about what he might do once he caught up to her.

But finally he did catch up to her. Terra was cornered. He'd been pushing her subtly with his tracking, forcing her towards the edge of a cliff-face, where she'd skidded to a stop inches away from pitching over the edge of the cliff and down, dooooowwwwnnnn to a rocky death below.

Terra whirled, gasping in surprise as a green wolf emerged from the woods behind her, licking its great chops and bearing its unnaturally large canine teeth, growling hungrily at her. She took another step back, nearly losing her balance as the rockface crumbled slightly. She nearly fell.

"Terrrraaaa..." he hissed wickedly, reverting into his humanoid form, his teeth no less wicked looking in this one, his expression one of plain hunger as he advance on her. Terra shrank back fearfully. And the animal within Beastboy drank deeply of her fear. It helped to whet his appetite.

"Beastboy... nooo..." she said softly, her eyes wide with terror.

Beastboy's reply was to leap forward and swiftly assume the form of a great gorilla, grabbing Terra by the shoulder to keep her from falling off the cliff and hurling her back towards the jungle, where she slammed hard against a nearby tree. Even as his lips drew back into a sinister grin, Beastboy's eyes grew wide with horror. _No_, he thought. _Stop it! Don't hurt Terra!_

The body ignored the mind, as Terra slipped woozily to her feet, Beastboy advanced, assuming first one shape, then another, each one moving forward to hurt Terra again, sinking in its teeth or smashing in its horn or lashing out with its claws. Each blow hit Terra dead center, she was unable to defend herself, and soon she was cut and bleeding from a number of rips, and her black t-shirt was torn and barely allowed her any sense of modesty as it clung to her in ribbons. Finally, Beastboy shifted back into his humanoid form, determined to finish her off this way.

"Terrraaa..." he rasped out. But internally he was screaming. _Run! Get away from me! Don't let me hurt you!!_

"Stop," she said. Clearly, concisely. And the nature of her voice pushed Beastboy back, as did her expression. She wasn't scared anymore. Then, sniffing the air, he realized she wasn't even Terra anymore.

Hope was there.

"Rrraaauuugh!" he roared, leaping at her. But Terra moved with blinding quickness and grabbed Beastboy's arms, restraining him. He tried to shift, tried to change form and destroy her, but she held his gaze fast with this violet eyes of hers. That didn't stop him from roaring like a wildcat and lashing out with his limbs, clawing at her arms and stomach. She held on, her expression one of grim determination.

"Beastboy... stop this. This isn't who you are!"

His response was a wild roar, right in her face.

"This isn't... I know you're in there, I know you don't want to do this. You need to take control! You need to remember who you are!" Slowly, very slowly, Beastboy's struggles became less and less wild. "That's it," she said again, still holding him close. "You were born human. You are human still. No skin change, no power, will ever alter that. You are Garfield Logan first, Beastboy second... do you understand?"

"I... I understand..." he said softly. And then he collapsed into her arms, as Terra returned and hugged him close. "Oh god Terra I'm so sorry..." he started to say.

"Don't be," she said. "Let's just call it even, and move on."

"Deal," he murmured back. And the landscape shimmered and melted, and Beastboy's dreamscape vanished, Terra included, as his emerald-green eyes snapped open. He was awake.

And there was someone else in his room with him.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Now the horror level drops down a little, replaced unfortunately by sap. So much you'll be able to blow your nose with a pancake, should you be so inclined. For those confused, Hope is able to enter other people's nightmares but she needs to assume another form while there, usually someone present, and speak through them. She's not very powerful in the dreamscape sense. Terra's dream likely reminds most of her final moments in 'Aftershock,' and again we see she makes the right choice. Cyborg's is a reverse on 'Sum of his Parts,' where he saved Fixit as much as he saved himself. Good to see dream-Fixit was able to return the favor. Beastboy's dream has no precedent yet, but that might change after 'The Beast Within' airs (which'll be after Beastboy's nightmare is over, unfortunately). Next chapter: Starfire, Robin, Raven. Three down, three to go. The nightmare's not over yet.

Nariko: Well I plan to finish by the night of All Hallow's Eve. That give you a rough idea?

ViciousAssassin: As usual many thanks for pointing out my stupidity concerning spelling and grammar. I'm aiming for a seven-chapter story. Enough to tell what needs to be told.

Snow Werewolf: I don't have any one particular Titan, I just love the team in general. I'm afraid BB's definitely my least favorite, however.

ShadowSage2: Dialogue is over-rated, but I do also have to be very careful not to over-do the inner thoughts and explanations as well. I'd like to think I've reached a nice balance the way I have it. As for magic, how else can you explain BB (the -other- BB) deflecting a super-charged sonic cannon blast coming his way with that force-field thingie?

Todd fan: You're always like that. Always so super excited happy. I blame the sugar.

Crystal Renee: Well neither was I, so don't feel too bad.

Yomiori-wolfdemon: Well when I get a frequent reviewer, I am compelled to post replies in my stories. Welcome to -my- nightmare. Forgetting is burdensome, isn't it?

Ray1: I know, kinda makes you wonder what other kinds of emotional manifestations inhabit Raven. I saw this one fic that introduced me to Love, Hippie and Lust Raven's. Terra's fate you'll see soon.

Katergator: It feels so reassuring to hear things like that. Thanks mucho, glad you're enjoying the story.


	6. VI

Unable to bear the loneliness outside, Starfire had returned into the Tower. She was still searching for her friends. Despite all the evidence that they were long gone and, indeed, so was much of the world, she stubbornly continued to search for them, lifting up their beds to see if they were hiding underneath, checking inside cupboard doors (Beastboy once hid there, during a strange game of 'seek and hide' they'd played). But alas, no signs of her friends. Not one brightly colored costume filled her field of vision, only the endless empty hallways and rooms of Titan's Tower.

"Hello?" she whispered, her voice slightly hoarse from shouting out for them, thinking perhaps they couldn't hear her. "Hello? Friends Cyborg and Beastboy? Friend Raven? Hellllloooooo....? Robin?"

Again, only her own questions answered her. Only her own footsteps echoed in the empty silence of Titan's Tower. Despair clung to Starfire but she stubbornly refused to accept her fate. She had to find them. To know where they were and why they were not with her.

_Starfire..._

The Princess of Tamara came up short, nearly skidding to a stop as she glance back down the T-intersection she'd just passed. She could've sworn she'd just heard...

_Starfire..._

Eager to find someone, anyone, Starfire lifted off her feet and zoomed through the air as fast as a cannonball, turning this way and that following the whispering half-voice, arriving at Robin's room seconds before the door slid shut. She didn't hesitate, grabbing both ends and forcing them open faster than it was capable of, and peering inside, hoping to see someone.

Alas, she did not. There was no one there.

A dejected sigh came from Starfire's lips and her shoulders slumped mightily as waves of despair washed over her slender frame. She was about to depart but the voice, if it had not been her imagination, had drawn her here. She might as well take a look around.

"Robin?" she called out quietly. "Hello?"

_Starfire..._

Starfire heard the voice again, and glanced down. Past Robin's bed, past the myriad of criminal news clippings and evidence he was often found working on, there was a dresser, simple and functional. Starfire knew from past experience it held the Boy Wonder's many spare costumes, as well as a number of civilian clothes he wore when the occasion required it. Like the tuxedo he'd worn to Kitten's prom. Starfire frowned slightly at the memory, but then smiled, remembering afterwards... after Kitten and her psychotic father had been defeated.

She remembered the dance she'd shared with Robin, and it brought a quiet little smile to her lips.

Curious to know more, the lady Titan opened up one of the drawers, then another, peering inside, wondering if perhaps a clue was hidden therein. An explanation, a note or some such. To her surprise, furthest down, she spotted a rather large book, much like the ones Raven used to read, containing many big, thick pages. The title was 'Memories.'

"How peculiar," she mused, reaching down to obtain the book and draw it out. It opened easily, and she saw that it wasn't a letters book, it was a pictures book. It was a... what was the term? Robin had told her of such things before. Oh yes.

"A photo album," she said aloud.

Inside were memories indeed, frozen in time. Pictures of the Titans over the ages, from as far back as their origins to the modern day. Each time they'd done something momentous there was an image of it contained therein, along with a date beside the photos. Some were somewhat sloppy, half-hazardous, images created by Beastboy during the Titan's infrequent outings out of Titan's Tower to have fun and play. Others were professional images, captured by the security cameras of the places they saved from criminal menaces, or still others from the ever-recording eye of Cyborg.

Curious to see more, Starfire crossed her legs and hovered in mid-air Indian style, as Raven and she often did during their meditation, placing the book in her lap. She didn't feel so sad anymore, now. She didn't have her friends back but she had these rather pleasant memories to keep her company. So she turned the page and began to peruse the images contained therein.

Their gathering, when she'd touched Robin's hand to learn his language.

Her first trip to the carnival and the Ferris wheel.

The time she'd switched physical forms with Raven.

A peaceful outing to the beach, playing a friendly game of no-powers volleyball.

The time she'd consoled Cyborg about his ordeal in the HIVE.

Her trip back to Tamaran, and her joyous return to her real home... to earth.

Starfire stopped on that last page, eyeing a number of images that Robin had dutifully taken and captured with Cyborg's aid, drawing them from his perpetually recording eye. She saw herself there, doing battle with her sister Blackfire for control of Tamaran. And for control of herself. She saw herself... so determined... so brave. Was that really her?

She gently reached out a hand, touching the small frozen image of herself, marveling at the image contained there. In awe of her own ability to fight. She hadn't needed help from her friends then, though they'd been with her in spirit.

Just like they were now.

"I'm not really alone," she said. "I have you with me in my heart... always."

Starfire gently closed the photo album and slid it back into place, closing the drawer. She could sense it now. Sense the feeling of peace that had suddenly filled the Tower, replacing the despair and emptiness. And though she did not turn, she sensed a presence by the doorway. She almost broke into tears when she heard his voice again.

"Hey Star..."

"Robin."

* * *

Darkness engulfed him as he crouched in the shadows. Panting heavily for breath, waiting for his enemies to leave. No, no his enemies. His friends. Again he reached up, tearing at the mask, racking his fingers hard across the surface but as before, it would not budge, would not move. He was suffocating behind the orange and black mask of Slade, suffocating behind the evil that it represented.

Then suddenly, a sound came to his ears. A footstep. Two of them, then a third. Two individuals. Cyborg and... Beastboy, judging from the gait. No, not Beastboy. He couldn't identify the second set of footsteps. And he could only surmise of Raven or Starfire was with them, they floated, they made no sound until they spoke. Nor was he anxious for another encounter with them.

Robin leapt out of his hiding place seconds before a plasma cannon ripped it to shreds, rolling on the ground and moving quick to dodge starbolts heading his way. As always he tried to hold up his hands, tried to show he didn't mean to fight, tried to call out to his friends and tell them who he was. But alas, he could not. They saw and heard only Slade, and they were relentless in their attack on their arch-enemy.

"Stop...!" he tried, his voice hoarse from yelling, his arms and legs weary from dodging and parrying attacks. He couldn't hold them off much longer. He should've run...

... but where would he run to?

Suddenly a horned rinoceous slammed right into Robin's midriff, cracking his ribs and knocking him to the ground, where he collapsed, unable to stand. Cyborg and Starfire took up positions on either side of Beastboy as he slipped back into his regular form, both of them aiming their respective weapons at the masked Robin, unable to tell who he was.

"Stop... please..." he whispered.

"Stop!" said a new voice, a familiar voice.

It was Robin, but not Robin himself. It was another Robin. The Titan Robin, dressed in his bright red, green and yellow costume, wielding his retractable bo staff and making his way past the gathered Titans towards whom he believed to be Slade. The real Robin. He made no effort to move. He had no strength left to do so. The other Titans closed in from all sides, forming a ring that cut off any exit he might've tried to break for, had he any energy to attempt such a feat.

"Slade," said the alter Robin accusingly, with Robin's own voice.

"I'm... I'm not Slade!" shouted Robin, receiving the end of a bo-staff in his chest for his trouble, being hurled back down onto the ground. This upset his injured ribs, and he clutched his stomach as a wave of pain washed over him, agony soaking into his every muscle. "I'm nothing like Slade!!"

"Robin," said the alter Robin again, though this time his voice seemed... different? Cautiously Robin opened his left eye, peering up at himself... he seemed... different somehow. "You're not Slade," he said, speaking in a strange, feminine tone of voice. One Robin recognized with some difficulty... it was... it was Ravens. But, he dared dart a glance over his clone's shoulder... there was Raven! Was this some sort of ventriloquism trick?

"But you are -like- Slade," said the other Robin. "Determined, skilled, daring, manipulative. Tell me... what makes you different from Slade?" he/she/it asked accusingly, raising the bo staff high up over his/her/it's head, ready to bring it down if the response was not the correct one.

Fortunately, Robin had the correct answer.

"Slade doesn't have any friends. I do."

"Then trust me, for I am a friend... let me save you," he/she/it said, still not dropping her bo staff, nor lowering it. Robin, hesitantly, nodded, then gave up all his defenses, putting his trust in the Titans, and prayed to whatever divine ear would listen that he'd made the right choice.

The alter Robin swung down hard with the metallic bo staff, striking Robin full in the face...

... and he felt nothing, felt no pain, only a sudden release as the hated mask of Slade cracked, broke, and then shattered, scattering all over the floor into dark fragments than instantly vanished into dust. As the dust rose, Robin coughed, holding up his hand to instinctively cover it, and saw that the hated gray gauntlet had vanished as well, replaced only by his green glove. All his injuries were gone. He was himself again. Not Slade, but Robin.

Inside and out.

He snapped awake, really, truly awake, surprised to see that part of his dream was real, that the Titans had gathered around him in a semi-circle. But gone were the looks of hatred, replaced by concern and… upon seeing him awake… gratitude. Starfire made her way forward, clinging tightly to him, and he gave a reassuring pat on her back, telling her all was well.

But a single glance told him not all was well, and he gently slipped out of Starfire's embrace as he saw the other Titans. Raven was not among them. They did not exchange words, a glance told Robin all he needed to know, and the other Titans made their way to Raven's room, determined to end this once and for all time.

* * *

"Rage shall consume all!" roared Raven's father, high above the landscape. His power was growing, and so was his ego. He kept repeating that damnable line over and over again, even as his energy continued to grow in power. Raven was beginning to get downright sick of listening to that annoying voice of his.

"All will be laid to waste before me!" he roared.

"I'd pay real money if he'd shut up," Raven muttered under her breath sarcastically.

Sarcasm had always been Raven's natural defense, it was her own way of dealing with her inner emotions, be they fear, anger or despair. She always had prided herself on her quick wit and glib tongue, but now neither of those was going to save her.

"Raven…?"

Raven glanced over her shoulder, not surprised that the source of the voice had been Hope. Her white cloaked self stood there quietly, but there was a bright shine in her eyes that would have looked out of place on the real Raven. Much like Happy's great big smile.

"Whats happened? Why're you here?" asked Raven. "I thought I asked you to…"

"I did. It worked," replied Hope.

"They're all safe?" asked Raven. "Cyborg, Beastboy?"

"All of them, even Terra."

"Terra? Why would Terra be trapped in a nightmare, she's solid stone," replied Raven in confusion. A low roar and a crash of thunder drew the attention of both her and her emotion to her father, still raging above. "Nevermind, we'll figure it out later. Right now we need to deal with Daddy Dearest," she grumbled.

"Raven, if I may…?" began Hope. Raven nodded. "Draw him down into the Forsaken Chamber. Our allies can meet him there and destroy him."

"But Timid and Gross aren't fighters…"

"Raven please… I know you have lived your life without me, but please trust me now," said Hope. "I am perhaps the only way to defeat him. You know this."

Raven frowned darkly but eventually nodded her head. "Go make preparations… I'll get him down there."

"We'll be waiting," said Hope, vanishing as a black raven of energy engulfed her, teleporting down to the Forsaken Chamber below the surface.

Raven wasted no time in chanting her mystic words, launching up into the air, her blue cloak fluttering about her shoulders like a cape as she zoomed through the lightning-charged air, heading right towards her father. The great red demon of a man barely even noticed her, too interested in sowing chaos. Well, she'd certainly get his attention. Conjuring her power into a lash of black energy she struck him across the face, whipping it and drawing his fatal attention easily.

"You dare to strike me?!" he roared. His four golden eyes glowed and Raven flew out of the way, only barely dodging the blasts of energy that poured from each one. "I will crush you for this!" he bellowed, his fatal gaze following after Raven as she zipped back and forth, dodging the blasts and angering him further.

"I will lay waste to your mind and take your body for my own!" the great red demon roared, chasing after Raven with slow, methodical steps as she zipped down low, cruising at a fast pace only a few feet above the ground, hoping to keep away from his further attacks. Raven's father thrust forth his hand, and a great wave of fire washed out, blasting at the ground, and Raven had to teleport to avoid being burnt to a crisp.

Raven reappeared several feet to the side of where she'd previously been, her black raven 'soul self' floating out behind her like a second cloak as she zipped across the ground, her raven's wings flapping to propel her more quickly along. She needed to reach… there!

The entrance to the Forsaken Chamber loomed on a rise in the mental landscape, a dark and gloomy place that even Raven's emotional selves dared not go. It was a great hole in the side of the rising hillside, surrounded by jagged stalactites and stalagmites that resembled the sharp teeth of a monster. A place where her power was strongest. Hope had chosen well. She only hoped that her allies were prepared. As she'd said, Timid and Gross weren't good fighters, though Smart was a good tactician where it counted and Brave of course could always be counted on in a fight.

Raven wasted no more time, trusting herself to hoping for the best, and sped down into the cave. Her father, the great red demon, slowed at the entrance, too big to properly fit inside.

"You think you can hide from me, daughter?!" he roared, making the landscape shake. Then, his body stretched, pulsating, and exploded in a shower of red. Each red piece of the great demon formed into a new body, forming a multitude of red-cloaked Raven's with four glowing red eyes each. Anger had split, forming a multitude of lesser dark Raven's. Rage, Hated, Prejudice, Jealousy, Fury, and more. A swarm of red-cloaked Raven's sped down into the Forsaken Cavern, flying in small groups of twos and threes. Inside, the cavern was mostly empty, a great number of interconnecting caves and tunnels, great huge stalactites and stalagmites hanging from the ceiling and floor, as well as a number of deep crevices. It was a perfect hiding spot. The perfect place for an ambush.

"Spread out," ordered Anger, directing her brethren. "She's hiding here somewhere."

Suddenly the blackness of the cave was illuminated as a bright bolt of emerald fire lanced out from a hidden corner, slamming full into Anger's stomach and doubling her over, even as it slammed her full force into the cave wall. She slumped to the ground but pushed herself up again immediately, her crimson eyes glowing with fury. From the source of the blast now was visible. A pair of glowing emerald eyes, glowing in the darkness.

"No. Raven and we are done hiding," remarked a musical voice as its owner strode out of the shadows and into the light. Crimson red locks flowed down behind her head, her bright green eyes glowed emerald, pulsating with power, as did her hands as they were filled with starbolts.

"Come and 'get some', you velt-rax mal'chers!" said Starfire angrily.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Starfire's the heart and soul of the Titan team, but I think often underestimates just how powerful she is on her own. And we've all seen she can hold her own in a fight, like she did against a souped-up Blackfire. The photo album has significance, as I honestly don't peg Robin as the kind who would keep one. It's going to appear in one of my later stories and be more fully explained there. Robin's overcoming the similarities between him and Slade, as well as the shattering of the mask, are both tributes to 'Apprentice part II.' Raven's mindscape seems to have rather cheerful names, like the Forbidden Door, so I came up with the Forsaken Chamber one. Anger actually splitting into multiple sub-emotions I borrowed from Happy-Raven's (the authoress) story 'Raven of a Different Color.' Next chapter: Final battle, dawn's light and wrap-up of events.

Todd fan: I believe you refer to 'Bunny Raven' or perhaps 'Spellbound'. The second was cute, the first is coming up later and I hope will be the same, since it involves Mumbo and I dunno about him as a villain.

Yomiori-wolfdemon: Blame the sugar, always works for me. You indeed need to see more of Terra, she's a richly complex character among the Titans. Probably, but since you've asked me to read it I'll try and offer constructive criticism, rather than flame it.

Crystal Renee: Definitely a good thing, thanks for reviewing and enjoying the story.

Ray1: Yeah I said pretty much the same thing, but she's Raven's 'inner meditator' or something. Go figure. The story makes more sense if you read it.

Spazzfire: Yup! I iz the gretest! Hooray!

Nariko: Nah, it happens. I guess Tyriel isn't distinctly male enough, go figure. No, downplay works, and I understand what you mean. And while I say I don't like Beastboy the way I like the other titans I still like him as a Titan and I try to let him shine as best he can. Good luck? I don't need luck… I got skill.

ViciousAssassin: Well that's Hope's form in Starfire's nightmare, just a disembodied, whispering voice. But it seems you were dead on with Robin. I dunno if that means I've become predictable or if you just really know the Titans as well as I do.

ShadowSage2: It is something easily over-looked, but now in 'Wavelength' we saw him do a lot more to Cyborg with that Sith-style lightning bolts he threw at Cyborg, plus those mad kung-fu skills for a guy who's past his prime. Must be something out of the ordinary there, and I hope they explain it later. The Abyss you say? Say 'allo to Slade for me if he's there.


	7. VII

"Die Interloper!" roared Anger, launching herself forward, seeking to attack Starfire with her bare hands. She didn't hesitate, she blasted her full in the face with his starbolts, sending her flying through the air again. Nearby, Rage launched herself up into the air, swooping down to attack Starfire from behind. A crackling whip of black energy snaked around her ankles, however, stopping her, as the real Raven drew back hard on her semi-solid black energy and yanked Rage with it, sending her hurling in an uncontrolled pathway through the Cavern, only to slam face-first into a bo-staff that had been place directly in her line of path. So great was the force of her flight that the sudden stop by an iron staff send her hurling into a backflip and slam onto the ground with slightly less force than a battering ram. She wasn't getting up anytime soon.

"Get them! Destroy them!"

A green cheetah zipped forward, rushing past the dark forces of Raven's mind, lashing out at their cloaks and exposed legs whenever the chance presented itself. One, Fury, zipped into his line of path, preparing to stop him, but Beastboy leapt up and transformed into a great green kangaroo, landing hard atop of her with his great legs and bounding off with equal skill, leaping over and past her. She lifted her head, spitting gravel out of her mouth, and growled darkly.

Hatred thrust out her hands, powering them with crimson flames as she took aim, turning her body slowly, slowly, trying to keep aim on the quick-moving Beastboy… and… there…!

Just as Hatred was about to fire a fist filled her vision and she was sent hurtling through the air as Cyborg followed up his vicious attack with a powerful plasma blast assault that left Hatred hurling up into the ceiling to leave a Raven-shaped mark there, stuck by the sheer force of the blow.

Two down.

"Destroy them!! Destroy them all!!" roared Anger, lashing out with her powerful bursts of fire, aiming at Raven and Starfire. Cyborg knocked both girl's aside, shielding them with his much tougher state-of-the-art steel body, the flames washing harmlessly over. Anger growled, increasing the ferocity of her attacks, but was cut short as a black boot slammed fully into her jaw and knocked her into a cave-wall, rendering her unconscious. Robin dropped to his feet gracefully.

"You're going back where you belong!" said Raven, leaping atop of the remaining red-cloaked Raven, that being Jealousy. Screeching like a wildcat (indeed, Robin and Starfire were suddenly reminded of Kitten) her red-cloaked emotional manifestation fought back, and the two engaged in wrestling upon the floor, each seeking the other's throat, trying to rip the other one to pieces. The other Titans watch on.

"All we need is some mud," remarked Beastboy under his breath, before he and Cyborg made their way in to separate the two warring personalities, Cyborg keeping the little red-cloaked Raven pinned.

"I will not be defeated!" she roared, her voice half her own, half her father's. She squirmed mightily but all her power was gone. She could not even get out of Cyborg's iron grip. "Rage shall consume all!"

"I'm sealing you away for good this time!" shouted Raven, placing her hand on Jealousies forehead. Exerting her full power she drew Jealousy and brought her back into herself, drawing the red-cloaked Raven into her body and sealed her away, as she'd done a year or so ago when Anger had first escaped. She repeated this gesture on the other unconscious red Raven's, sealing them away one by one. At last the final one was gone, and Raven stood alone.

No, not alone. With her friends, the Teen Titans.

"Thank you," she said simply.

"We should be thanking you," replied Robin. "If you had saved us we wouldn't have been able to come here and help you."

"It was because of Anger that you were in danger in the first place," she pointed out.

"Hey come on, all's set and done and we're still standin'," said Cyborg. "I say we just get out of here. No offense Rae but your mind ain't exactly a vacation spot, you understand?"

She allowed herself a small smile at that. "No I suppose not… alright, to the Forbidden Door, and out the way you came in."

"Good, we got one last problem to deal with then," said Robin, as they took off towards the exit.

"What is that?" asked Starfire, puzzled.

"Taking out the trash."

* * *

The trash, of course, being Brother Blood and his cronies surrounding Titan's Tower. 

And "taking out" meaning activating the island security system that Cyborg had installed just last month, bombarding the psychotic teacher and his army with numerous blasters and the like until they retreated post haste. The Titans watched with smiles on their faces, seeing them abandon the island like fleas off a sinking cat, diving into the water to avoid being blasted or leaping into their ships and heading westwards, away from Titan's Tower and Jump city. They could even see the white-haired visage of Brother Blood waving his fist and cursing something inaudibly up at them.

"Wonder what he's saying?" said Robin with a grin.

"Oh the usual," replied Cyborg, who's cybernetic eye gave him a bird's eye view of his arch-nemesis, and he was dutifully translating from lip-reading. "Curse you for foiling my plans… get revenge… yadda-yadda… hate you… you know, the usual."

"Oh good, nothing to worry about," remarked Raven with a wry grin. Then she stifled a yawn behind her hand.

The sun had risen only moments earlier, casting its bright golden glow over the city of Jump and the home of its resident heroes. However, it also served to remind all of them that they were very tired from a long night battling nightmares. A very restless evening for all of them, even Raven, who hadn't had to physically awake until the very end, whereas the others had been forced to use Raven's mirror to join her in the dreamscape and battle Anger and his pseudo-minions.

"Well I'm heading back to bed…" remarked Raven, levitating off down the hallway.

"Bed?! But its morni… mornin…" Beastboy started to protest, but it was cut off by a powerful yawn of his own, his mouth opening so wide it nearly split his head in half. "Well, I guess a short catnap wouldn't hurt," he said, morphing into a cute little green kitten and heading off down the corridor towards his own room.

"I need a recharge too… 'night ya'll," said Cyborg, departing. The lights dimmed, the living room illuminated now only by the dawn's light as Robin and Starfire lingered. The pile of candy acquired from the previous evening lay nearby, but it was ignored.

Starfire was the one to break the awkward silence. "Are you… alright Robin? Did the bad dream hurt you at all?"

He smiled, shaking his head. "Nah just… just shook me up a little. But I'm fine now. Really," he added, seeing he wasn't convincing her.

"You often say you are fine when you are not fine," said Starfire. "If you are not fine you may tell me Robin. I wish to help. Tell me… what did you dream of?"

Sighing deeply, Robin sat down on the couch. Starfire hovered by the armrest, watching him quietly, waiting patiently for him to speak.

"I… dreamed…" he said, then hesitated. "I dreamed I was Slade," he finally managed to say.

Starfire gasped, placing her hands over her mouth, then lowering them. "Oh Robin I am so sorry…"

He managed a weary smile. "It's okay… it was just a really, really bad dream… it wasn't real. I'm not Slade. And I know why I'm not Slade," he added meaningfully. Starfire, confused but nonetheless pleased by his peculiar behavior, tilted her head to one side. Robin recognized this as a silent questioning of what he meant.

He smiled more sincerely then, placing a hand over hers. "Slade doesn't have any friends."

She smiled back at him, squeezing his hand tenderly.

"Fair's fair," he added, a hint of mischief in his smile now. "What did you dream about Star?"

"I dreamt that I was all alone," she said, drifting down onto the couch to sit beside him, their hands still clasped together. "That all my friends had gone away and there was… was no one anywhere," she said, shivering softly. And then, remembering her dream more in-depth, her eyes started to moisten.

"Hey, relax Star… we're not going anywhere. I promise," he said, placing a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

And so the two of them lay there in one another's arms, resting comfortably on the sofa as the sun's warm rays illuminated the living room. Neither of them noticed. They had both drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

Raven took the long route back to her room, stopping by the bathroom to shower herself down and calm her nerves, which were absolutely shot. Although considering how close she'd been to death tonight (last night, it was morning) it was no wonder. Still, the steamy hot water helped to sooth her. 

Thus, when she returned to her room, she was greeted with a surprise.

Beastboy was sleeping in it.

Not on her bed, of course. No, he must've realized she'd toss him out by his ear if he'd slept in her bed. And not necessarily through the door either, likely straight through the window and down into the ocean. He was sleeping at the foot of her bed in the form of a great canine, which confused Raven. He generally slept in his humanoid form, and she frowned slightly, wondering what he was up to.

A quick scan of his thoughts told her everything.

He wasn't even really asleep, just artfully pretending, hoping that she would be too kind to try and rouse him, that she'd permit him to sleep beside her bed. He didn't want to sleep in his own room because… he was still afraid of what had happened. He didn't want to be alone right now. She didn't blame him. She remember well when she'd been younger she'd sometimes done the same with her adopted mother Azar.

But still… it -was- Beastboy.

Finally, she threw up her hands in frustration. "Oh alright," she muttered, knowing full well he could hear her. Canines had sensitive ears. "But if I see so much as one clump of green fur I'm going to re-introduce you to Anger personally, got it?"

She hadn't expected a response, he was still faking sleep, but she could see his ears twitch and his body shiver at the thought, and knew her threat had gone through. Satisfied, Raven removed her cloak and lay down on her bed, drawing up her covers as she too drifted back into a more restful, peaceful sleep, free of nightmares.

* * *

Cyborg lay flat on his back in his room, recharging quietly, though he'd yet to shut down his active system. He was half-worried he'd wake up a full machine again. 

But the dream had taught him something, where its creators had intended it on him or not. His real father, as well as the real Fixit, had both helped to reinforce this lesson as he thought back on the two of them. He just hadn't put it in those terms before. And he supposed, even Brother Blood had helped by showing him the negative of the lesson, with his offer to make him human and whole again. Even Atlas had helped prove a point to Cyborg during their last clash.

It was a simple lesson.

No matter the outer form, the heart never changes.

Cyborg smiled and closed his right eye, de-activating his right so it no longer fed his brain information, and initiated shutdown. He wouldn't sleep long, but he needed a little rest right now. When he was recharged he'd work on cleaning up the Halloween decorations from outside, the jack o' lantern's which had by now probably lost all light, the candles having burnt out. It wouldn't take long but it was something that needed to be done.

* * *

Deep below Jump City there lay a cavern, formerly the hideout of the notorious Slade and now a monumental grave to him and to his former Apprentice, the Titan known as Terra. 

Frozen in stone during the final battle, using her the last of her power and strength to seal away a triggered volcano, Terra stood there, having stood there for the past few months and weeks and days, and likely would continue standing there for years to come, unless a cure was found. For Terra was not truly gone, was not truly alive or dead. But a spark of life existed past the cold stone that was her face, her thoughts were still sensed by Raven, the Titan's telepath, who could tell that the once-and-again Titan was indeed still alive.

And someday, she would be returned to life.

Until then, she dreamed. She could no longer interact with the real world, all her senses were frozen in stone that made up her current form. She had no sight, no smell, no touch, no taste… nothing. But her mind was intact, and she could still dream.

And in her dreams she wandered the world as she had before she'd met the Titans or heard of Slade. Utterly free to do what she pleased. But now, her encounter with Anger's nightmares had left her with something else. Well, two things really.

One, a sense of fear, that her dreams were not to last eternally, that someday she would be restored to life and forced to answer for everything that she'd done, willingly, as the Apprentice of Slade.

And the other, a gift from Hope…

He was only a dream, the Beastboy at her side, sitting on the rock that she rode through the clouds with. But he was by her side and kept her company, and they laughed and talked. He was only a dream, and she longed for the real thing but… for now… it helped make her happy.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Brother Blood was heading west, which is near as I can figure the way out from Jump City towards the ocean. Obviously this'll lead into his location in 'Wavelength.' The final scene with Robin and Starfire was inspired by a piece of artwork called 'Slumber Time' though I can't seem to find the artist who made it. Terra's final dream-sequence is going to hopefully lead into either the animators bringing her back (they'd better) or, if I need to take measures into my own hands, -me- bringing her back. After seeing 'The Beast Within' I think its safe to assume at least one of Beastboy's biggest fears is turning into an animal, though it also seems I may need to change from a Beastboy/Terra supporter back into a Beastboy/Raven supporter. Le sigh. Hope you all enjoyed, see you next fic!

Oh yes, and have a pleasant All Hallow's Eve!

Yomiori-wolfdemon: Hey, its better to know your bad and work to improve, than think you're good and suck. You'll see why soon enough why people hate Terra. Specifically, I think 'Aftershock part I' will show you.

Ray1: Chipper indeed. And its above, Happy-Raven's (the authoress) story 'Raven of a Different Color' introduces us to Love-Raven, Lust-Raven, and Hippie-Raven. It starts out silly but it's a cute idea.

Crystal Renee: Glad you liked the photo album idea, I plan to bring it back in a future story if I ever get around to it.

Spazzfire: Nah, my ego's got super-powers too, and its my arch-enemy villain. I think it escape a while back and its plotting vengeance… or something.

ViciousAssassin: I did the same before I started this, to make sure I had the nightmares as close as possible to what would really happen if the writers of the show did this. Glad to see its been enjoyed. And yes, you just answered your own darn question. Good, eh?

Raidersrule76: Well we don't know, you might've come up with some ideas I might've missed. That's why I love , it allows for so much creative input.

Nariko: Well a little luck never hurts, I suppose.

Rose: Wow, no really its okay you don't like Terra but diz-zam you reaaaaallly hate her, don't you? Wow. As for Raven, everyone has a little prejudice inside them, even if they never really show it. Or jealousy.

Soon to be the World Renown Gracie: Didn't I already? Raven has a link with -all- her friends, and Terra's still alive in that statue. That's where this has led.

Tigress419: Well I didn't use the he/she/it in some dreams because Hope was in a girl's body, it was mostly to emphasis how peculiar it is, with a girl's spirit/voice/eyes in a guy's body. Trust me, I'd think that's peculiar. Glad you enjoyed Hope though. The mirror indeed. I love that thing.

Catty Engles: I know what you mean by monotomous, which is why I generally avoid stories like these. But glad you're enjoying it. Thanks for the advice but seems my post went up right as I planned it.

InnoscenTorn: Oh don't feel stupid, I always do that. I tease and I trick and I manipulate the audience. Its just my way.

Dragonblond: Now you know how we feel when your stories come to an end! Haha! And I understand busy schedule, just hope you're still making time for 1000 Words.


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